Cathy Doyle |
Year Up Providence executive director
I joined Year Up from corporate America because of its commitment to measurable impact.
We respond to a local need from companies that are looking for young employees ready for the 21st-century workplace, both from a technical and soft-skill perspective.
Upon graduation from our yearlong program, an average of 85 percent of our students, some of whom were working minimum-wage jobs, begin full-time careers at top companies, earning an average of more than $16 an hour.
Year Up Providence regularly surpasses the national metrics – 96 percent of our last graduating class is employed full time, earning a highest-ever average wage of $17.94 an hour. Nearly half the class was hired at their internships, a testament to their performance and proof that our partners see a further return on their investment.
Why are we able to produce these results? First off, we keep students at the center of our work. When 80 18- to 24-year-old students walk through our doors twice a year, we hold them to high standards of professionalism in everything they do.
We remain laser-focused on outcomes, an expectation they will face every day in the corporate world.
And we keep our community in mind as we go about our work. This year, we will count more than 1,000 graduates since the program began here. And considering that 90 percent of our alumni have gone on to either full-time careers at leading companies or enrolled in higher education, this number has huge positive implications for Rhode Island’s economy.